“My mistake. While I’m sure that badge looked awfully nice on your Girl Scout sash, I’ve got fourteen horses here that need to be tended.”
“I’ve got nothing but time until Eden’s wedding.” She bobbed a shoulder. “More or less.”
Even if my injury had been directly caused by my brain short-circuiting when I saw her yesterday, her offer to help out around the ranch smacked of pity. I was in no mood to be fussed over and coddled, especially by June. Bad enough having Aaron listen to me moan and groan as I moved around—I didn’t need to add her to that audience.
“Don’t you have houses to decorate?”
She smiled a little as if she’d already won the argument. “I’m with an internet-based firm, so I’m pretty flexible.”
When we talked about her work last year, she’d made the internet thing sound like a stop-gap solution on her way to starting her own business. I almost asked her why she hadn’t moved on yet, but caught myself. I didn’t need her hanging around any longer than she already had been. What I wanted more than anything was to get her on her way, off my property, and out of my thoughts.
“It’s a nice gesture, but you don’t know what’s involved here.”
Her chin lifted higher. “I’m sure I can handle it.”
“I’m sure you can’t.” She wasn’t cut out for this, and I didn’t have the heart to have her around all the time.
A fire sparked in her eyes as she glared up at me. “There’s no reason for you to be this stubborn, Ty. You need help around here, and I’m going to do it. You can complain all you like, but you’re stuck with me. Now sit down, you’re too pale.”
“I don't need to sit—”
She pointed a finger in my face. “Sit. Down.”
I planted myself on a barrel under the tack wall. Wasn’t easy to do, and I groaned like anolder dudein the process, but the throbbing in my temples eased as soon as I sat down.
“Now.” She stood over me so I felt like a kid brought before the principal, shrinking under her shadow. “You need help. I’m offering to give you that help, at least until the wedding. I believe there’s a phrase about gift horses a man in your trade would know.”
I would have laughed if it weren’t for the misery in my chest.
“I appreciate your offer, I truly do, but there’s nothing in your life down in Austin that makes me think you’re a good fit for this.”
She swung a hand around, gesturing at the stalls. “It’s not rocket science. It’s literally shoveling horse crap.”
“And it’s damn hard work. I bet you’d regret all your promises before two weeks were even over.”
A light sparked in her eyes. “You’re on.”
“What? No, that wasn’t an actualbet—”
“If you win, fine, I’ll walk away and admit I’m just a city girl who can’t keep up. But if I win…” She paused, obviously at a loss for a good prize for proving she could shovel horse crap. “If I win, you have to admit I proved you wrong. Publicly.”
I shook my head a tic. “Those are the worst stakes I’ve ever heard.”
She flashed a sugar-sweet smile I wished weren’t so obviously fake. Her true smiles worked a kind of magic trick on my heart, opening up what I’d intended to shut down for good. Not that I needed any more incentive to cave to her right now.
“You could always throw in a ride on one of your horses.”
“Not happening.”
She crossed her arms and jutted out one hip. “Ty Hardy, are you afraid of losing?”
This whole thing was asinine, but her little challenge dug at me. My bones were broken, my professional reputation was surely sliding toward shaky ground, and I couldn’t even take a damn shower, but I still had a sliver of pride left.
I stood, swallowing down the groans. “I’m not afraid of watching you fall on your pretty little ass.”
One of her eyebrows twitched, and I wished I hadn’t said it quite that way. Probably still the effects of last night’s pain meds making me talk like a fool.
“Challenge accepted.” She held her hand out.
